August 15, 2004
I JUST LIKE IT
I got this in an e-mail tonight from Blogless Brother Roy. Personally, I'm "none of the above" in the religion category, but I still think this poem captures the essence of Christianity as it's held and practiced by most decent people, so I thought I'd share it for the sake of my "one of the above" readers.
NOTE: The e-mail I got credited this to Maya Angelou. The original author of this poem was actually Carol Wimmer, and there appear to be several different versions floating around. I like this one best.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean living"
I'm whispering "I was lost,"
Now I'm found and forgiven
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need CHRIST to be my guide.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
and need HIS strength to carry on.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
and need God to clean my mess.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
but, God believes I am worth it.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain,
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I was just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow.
ยป Parableman links with: Christian Carnival XXXI
Excerpt: I stole my theme idea for this week's Christian Carnival from a Carnival of the Vanities that did something similar. Instead of Rush, we're going with Kansas, who are in my opinion the best band ever to have existed. They...
Weblog: Parableman
Tracked: August 18, 2004 02:32 PM
Harvey, that's beautiful and I thank you for posting it. That sums up my beliefs perfectly. And...just what I needed right now. Thanks
Thanks dude. I've passed it on to several other "one of the above" people.
I wrote to both Carol Wimmer and Maya Angelou's agent (they book her lectures) and learned that Maya Angelou did NOT write the version attributed to her. I heard back from Carol too, who is aware of the mis-attribution to Maya, albeit a version slightly different from her original. If you like, I can forward the two e-mails. Like you, I like the one you posted (attributed to Maya) over the version Carol copy-righted. My e-mail is dorisju@hotmail.com
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